Baptist elder named acting president of Ukraine

Ukraine (MNN) — After the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovich and his dramatic departure, a Baptist preaching elder took the helm as Ukraine’s acting president. Earlier this week, Oleksandr Turchynov officially took on Yanukovich’s former responsibilities.

“The new government’s task is to stop the country’s slide, to stabilize the currency rate, to ensure timely salary and pension payments, to win back investors’ trust ,and to create new jobs,” said Turchynov in his first public address.

“He is well-known in political circles as a principled, honest leader,” Rakhuba told The Christian Post recently. “Overall, the evangelical church is excited about Turchynov’s sudden unanimous appointment as acting president.”

Turchynov is quickly establishing an interim government to avoid further chaos. European Union and U.S. economic lifelines are further incentivizing the temporary leader to restore peace, since payments cannot be received until a new government is in place.

Years of corrupt government rule have pushed Ukraine to the edge of its own fiscal cliff. The acting finance minister says $35 billion of financial assistance is needed between now and the end of 2015. An emergency loan is also needed to get the country through the next two weeks.

(Image courtesy Sergey Rakhuba via Facebook)

Meanwhile, some of last week’s protestors are still standing guard, ready to spring into action.

“We’ll stay here to the very end,” 23-year-old Bohdan Zakharchenko told Reuters on Sunday. “We will be here till there’s a new president.”

If Zakharchenko and his peers hold true to their claim, protestors could be in the streets of Kiev until national elections are held on May 25.

Please continue to pray for Ukraine. To help provide spiritual support for families affected by this conflict and to promote reconciliation, Russian Ministries is printing 200,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke in Ukrainian, which contains prayers for salvation, comfort for families, healing for the nation and hope for peace.

Please make sure of your information before you post. Aleksandr Turchynov is NOT a pastor but an elder in the Baptist church that he attends here in Kiev, Ukraine. Reporting that he is a pastor may just do more bad than good.

Stefan van der Merwe
(missionary working in Odessa Ukraine with the Baptist Union)

Thank you Stafan. We were told by reliable sources that he preached in the Baptist church. The person even thought he was ordained. However, we did a little more digging and discovered he is a preaching elder in the Baptist church. Thank you for keeping us accountable.